The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-01
GooD-BY, BoSs, GOODBYE
The Meaning of Messese that Went
Over the Wire One Nia'ht.
rom the Ne,o York Sun,

FROM the NetG YORK sun, ~
CHEYENNE, Wy, April 17-'Did\ sou
ever near of anybody committing suicide by
wire~ asked a telegraph operator here last
night of party of men, young and old,
who had experience at the keys. One man
knew of fellow who hanged himself with
a clothes-line wire, and several others had
heard of cases where men had strangled
themselves on telegraph poles and cross
trees, but these were not what the first
speaker meant.
"You don't catch the point" he con
tinued. "When the overland wire was
newer than it is now, a good many funny
things used to happen and some of them
were not SO funny either, The country was
we used to have them all to
ourselves. One night in the winter of
lS60-70 was on duty here alone. 1t was a
bowling night, intensely dark and stormy.
Not much was going on, and as had been
reading a hair-lifting story, and was a little
nervous anyway on account of the numer-
Gus crimes that had beer committed in
the neighborhood, | beganto fidget The
sounder was still, and so, just to make a
little noise, | went out and poked up the
fire. Pretty soon press dispatch started,
and while that was going through | felt
more at ease. The rattle of the instrument,
and the occasional conversation between the
two men who were sending and receiving
made some company for me. When this
stopped, the bowling of the wind seemed
louder than ever | lighted my pipe and
began to walk around. Then picked up
my book and tried to read, but little later
resumed my walk. Finally, at about
O'Clock in the morning, settled back in my
chaiNwith a feeling of drowsfness, and had
lost myself for a minute or two, perhaps,
wheH the sounder clicked off, sharp and
i@SsR,sood-by, boys Good-byer
81 leaned forward, and as did so some
Touchdown the line broke in with a ribald
remaFk, Then others took it up, and pretty
soon there was a general questioning and
crosse questioning going on for the purpose
Of, finding out who had sent the message. |
teleglaphed to ten or twelve of the boys
that had.not done SO, and others had made
their denials, so that after little things be-
came quiet again. sat thinking for few
minutes and was loading my pipe for an
other smoke, feeling somewhat better than |
had done at first when there came not quite
as rapidly as before, but still with perfect
distinctness, the words:
"'Good-by, boys,& say
Laramie broke in with:
w Sil, w tiilbo OiS
with your and several others whom
couldn't locate got on the wires with,
ground that wire cheese it, let me
sleep who's callingn what do you say?
let up, will your and other remarks. One
or two Of the boys tried TO locate the opera
tor by calling up the stations along the road,
but the storm was having its effect on the
wires, and as some OF the Offices were
closed at night there were n good many that
could not be raised After that / heard
nothing more, and / made up my mind that
some smart Aleck was having a little fun
with us.
I'm the morning the man who wos TO re-
lieve me was little late, and while was
waiting for him to come in heard the fol-
lowing press message going through:
FELToN's SIDING, WYo., - g.
When the day operatorssat this station came
on duty this morning he found Nicholas
Barron, the night operator, dead at his in
strllment, with a revolver at his side He
had committed suicide some time during the
night. lie is thought to have had relatives
in the East.
"'That was the duck who was telegraph
ing last night somebody said over the
wires as soon as the dispatch went through,
and 50 he was. He had shot himself twice,
and it is evident that he telegraphed his
once and making no response to the cletter
which bis mysterious messages created. de
was pretty good fellow, bnt heard that
he got lonesome out there. It's poor way
to commit suicide, though"